Housework - the never ending task

23 April 2009

I am sure you all know that what I write about in my daily post is a small fraction of what Hanno and I get up to each day. If we continue to make a commitment to this way of living, we will be busy every day for the rest of our lives, and that's fine, as long as we enjoy it and pepper our days with rest and variety. I like the idea of us looking after ourselves and not surrendering ourselves to age and time, allowing others to cook and clean for us. While we are in good health, we are fine to do for ourselves.

However, I sometimes feel a bit fragile when I am particularly busy and have more things to do that I feel comfortable with. Sometimes, when I have a deadline to meet, house work to do, voluntary work, gardening, cooking, cleaning and my family to tend to, I feel a slight panic - how will I ever get it done! At those times I've taught myself to step back, think about my work and be mindful of the kind of life I am living. When I do that, when I take a step back and don't race headlong into it, I get a clearer picture of how I can carry out my work efficiently and plan for the day ahead. Above all else though, I have to tell myself that it has to be broken up into chunks and it doesn't all have to be done. That saves me every time.

This was the view from my writing room yesterday afternoon.

I have written before about how housework never ends and I always keep that in mind, especially when I'm very busy. The best way for me to work is to divide my work into time periods - this, for me, is usually morning and afternoon, but it could be any time that you're prepared to work. So in a typical day, if I had the following chores, this is how I would organise myself:Bake bread, clean kitchen, make bed, tend garden, check worm farm, feed worms and chooks, pick and blanch vegetables, make tomato sauce and process it in water bath, laundry, sweep floor, wash up, make dinner, write, answer emails, mend and knit.

Plan of actionFirst I would decide which I would do in the morning and which in the afternoon. So, morning chores are:MorningMake bedFeed chooksLoad the washing machineMake bread and set to riseMake tomato sauce and process - leave jars to coolBake breadClean kitchenWash upHang out washingCollect eggsSweep floorWrite until lunch - this last one is restricted by the amount of time I have

LUNCH

AfternoonFeed wormsTend garden and pick vegetablesBlanche vegetables, set to cool, then freezeTwo hours writingKnit for 30 minutes or soBring laundry in and foldMake dinner, while it's cooking, answer emailsEat dinner, clean up kitchen and wash up

If I felt like it, I could mend after dinner, but usually by then I'm pooped, so it can wait till tomorrow. If I was falling behind, or feeling tired, I could leave the tomato sauce or blanching until tomorrow as well. I could spend more time writing and not knit. As you can see, I do a fair bit of juggling and I think that gives me a bit of leeway. The important thing is to do the work in chunks. Don't toil for hours on the one thing. Do a bit, do something else, then come back to your long job. It does make it easier.

I can move chores around

I can put things off till tomorrow

I don't have to finish everything.

It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be the best I can do on that day.

I'm not living in a showroom, this is my home.

And you know what, sometimes I don't do any work at all. I give myself the day off. That day off is a powerful thing. If I've had a really busy time at work and here at home, I give myself time to recover. I want to look after myself and I want to enjoy my work. I'm in this for the long haul, I don't want my housework to become a burden. I'm sure many of you think it's an absolute luxury to have a day off but I am at the stage of life when it is possible. If you can't give an entire day, make sure you take some time for yourself - it's important.

I know there are many of you who struggle getting everything done. I know there are some who don't do much at all, feel guilt for it, but can't seem to find the motivation to do what they feel they should. I hope that by sharing how I work, and my insecurities about it, that it may help you with your work. Try to work with an open heart. You are your own boss in your home, be kind to yourself and take the pressure off to be perfect. If you work towards how you want your home to be, you will get there.

We all need to work, and it is good for us to work. It gives us a sense of achievement, we make our homes the way we want them to be, we look after our assets and when we go to bed at night, we feel proud that we worked so well that day. We made a significant investment in our family and our future.

All through the day I think about my work, how and why I do it in that particular way and why I value the experience of it. Building my home into the comfortable place I want it to be makes it all worthwhile, even if I don't enjoy every job I carry out. The work is made better when I think of the reasons why I do it. And imagine the alternative - imagine if you had no work to do, nothing to plan, nothing to invest your time in. I think many of us would love that for a day or two, then I know for sure I'd go a bit wonky if I had nothing to do.

We are workers, we are built to work. We may not get it all done in one go, it may need to finished off tomorrow, or the day after, but we are doing it. So to all you homemakers out there, to all the mothers who are trying to get the dinner on and tend to a crying baby, to all the career women who work away all day then go home to a family waiting hungrily for a good meal, to the dads who come home from work and help get dinner on or bath the children, to all those older women and men who have lost their spouse and struggle getting work done when strength is fading, to the newly weds who are learning how to keep house and to live with each other, to those of you who are not well and yet you get through the chores you set for yourself, to all the students who are learning for the first time to take care of themselves and their home, to all those workers who read this, I say, well done! It's not always easy but the work you are doing is valuable and important. If you didn't do that work, your family would be poorer for it.

Thank you for visiting me this week and taking the time to connect through comments. Welcome to all the new readers; still they come. Amazing! I hope you are all able to enjoy some time off after a week of work. Take care of yourself.

55 comments

Good Morning Rhonda,This is such an encouraging post for me today - I've got that overwhelming feeling with the housework at the moment - so much to be done and not enough hours in the day. Thanks for reminding me to slow down and enjoy and prioritise. By-the-way, what is the name and pattern of that pretty floral china?Rachel L

Nice thoughts, Rhonda. I am one of the ill all the time people and today I just didn't do nearly as much as I wanted but reserved my strength and did some of it. I think it's important not to berate ourselves but to be positive in happy in whatever we have done. I'm now shattered but satisfied at the end of my day as you start yours; have a good day!

Thank you so much for this post!!! as a new homemaker and a mom of two very young boys (6 mos and 2 yrs) I needed the encouragement! We are have been making the moves tword a simpler life, and enjoying the process as well as your delightful insights.

Thanks for such a great post once again.I find making a "To Do" list very helpful.And like you I let my self know that I can always finish tomorrow. When I get that feeling of drowning in my work,I remember my Great Grand Mother.She was the one who really worked.Home Steading,Farming,Household chores,Children and a Husband with whom she traveled with on his Sermon Route across the plains of America.All without the modern helpers I have.It is no wonder the pictures of her show a tough lean and wearie looking woman. Rois

Thank you so much for this post. What a blessing for me today. I find that it helps to slow down a bit and focus more on the task at hand rather than have my mind racing off to everything else I need to do. Truly, the tortoise way is better than the hare, but I am a hare by nature I'm afraid! Ha!

Rhonda, Your posts of late have brought back many memories of my years as a young bride.(38 years ago!) I would compare housework to my husbands job as a siding installer, only, I would say, "Picture this...you work all day putting beautiful siding on, and you go back the next morning and someone had tore all the siding off. So, you patiently re-install the siding, again taking care to do a good job. You go back the next day, and siding is tore off AGAIN. Picture that happening EVERY day for the rest of your life." Every day I would have to start over. Cook again. Laundry again. Vacuum again. Etc. Thank God I have had a change of heart! I do not see things as I once did. What a difference a change of attitude makes!

The things you have been sharing will be of great help to those who are younger than us. Those whose lives as wives and moms has just begun. Those who have just begun this journey, young or old. The older women teaching the younger. I wish I had someone like you when I was a young wife!!!

One thing I have done to help my self on those extra busy days is....cooking a extra big meal so we can have it the next day:)

I have always cooked just enough for us to eat that night. I now like making extra for the next days meal and it has helped me alot when I don't have to worry about making dinner that night. I also like using my crock-pot:)

I have been down for two weeks with a kidney infection and right now I can look around and see alot of things that need to be cleaned up....but I know that it will get done when I feel better:) I have been working on some sewing projects and that makes me happy to get a few pillow-cases done to make our bedrooms look nice:)

Dearest Rhonda,Thankyou for your wonderful post this morning. I am still only fairly new at being a homemaker. I have been married 5 years this year & my little girl just turned 3 so I still have lots of learning to go. I have only now realised that I can't do EVERYTHING! & I must allow time to rest otherwise I lose my patience & everyone suffers. I divide my housework up into days now & find that really helps. I used to dread cleaning the whole bathroom on one day so now I just divide it up over a couple of days. I also find it alot easier to keep on top of the ironing so there isn't a huge pile to get through in one go. You are such an inspiration to me Rhonda. Thankyou so much.Take care & God blessMelissa

Since I've begun to think of MANAGING the housework versus FINISHING it, I've done a lot better. It is never over. That pan I washed will be used to cook the next meal and need to be washed again. Laundry is never done because we're always wearing something. There is always another meal to cook and clean up. Ack!But...if instead I work to manage it, it's not so overwhelming. So I do some laundry on Monday and then some more on Thursday. So the bathrooms are cleaned on Tuesday and touched up on Friday. In between, I may wipe things down if needed, or throw in an extra load if I WANT. I don't know if this would encourage anyone else, but it's helped me a lot.

Just touching base about the knit athon. I struggle a bit with the flicker stuff so prob will just send you a photo at the end.I am up to around 30 squares maybe a few more. I am a fast knitter and am just doing basic garter stitch. The wools running a bit low so I may buy another ball or two, but I can prob start joining them up soon. I intend to crochet them together as its much easier than sewing and I have a one colour to surround every square and provide the background.Cheers,Juanita.

Good morning Rhonda,Such wise words for us all today. After all these years I still sometimes get overwhelmed by what needs to be accomplished each day. I am learning not to be a perfectionist which has been a hard lesson for me. These last few months since I have moved into semi retirement I am enjoying my home a lot more and I really enjoy my days at home.My passion is stitching and I am enjoying the fact that I can sit for awhile during the day and enjoy that pleasure without feeling guilty. Rhonda I wonder if you are able to share the pattern for Sewing the seeds of Friendship. It is very sweet and I would love to do it. Do you draw them? If so I can see the makings of another book here. Your stitcheries are just so cute.

Hi Rhonda,It's amazing how many times I'm feeling a particular way and then I find someone or read something that outlines exactly the same thing. I have recently discovered the idea of slowing down, taking time with things, prioritising tasks and it is a hard thing to learn how to do...realisation is one thing, putting it all into action is something else entirely. Thanks for describing what you do is adds momentum to the inspiration.Cheers, Jane

Great and encouraging post! Since I work outside of the home during the day, I put alot of pressure on myself to be all and do everything with perfection once I'm home. Of course, I always fall short of perfect.

what a wise post rhonda! if we look at chores as "chores" they turn into work. i cook all day so i clean the same pots and pans and utensils and wipe down the stove and counter top too many times to count. i really don't even think about it. it is all part of the process. each time an artist attacks a canvas he has to clean his brushes but it never stops him from painting. i love the organization of it all because i picture the end result in my mind. i think of the repetitive tasks as a form of meditation. i get in my zone and time just passes. i do my best planning and thinking during these times. the secret is not pressuring yourself. just go with the flow! joyce

Plenty of encouraging words, thank you. Even as a young woman, working around the house for a few hours in the morning, then spending 8 hours outside the house working hard, just to come home and get back to my real life with cooking and cleaning and mending, it can be frustrating and very tiring. But, like what you got at, going to be at night after a long day of endless work, you feel good. If you accomplish what you set out to do, you sleep more soundly. We all need days to rest, but I can't imagine not working my hardest to make our life enjoyable and comfortable every day.

Dear Rhonda,Your posts rings so true!When I get sick of cooking I think about what it would be like if I didn't, how it would effect me and the family, what would we eat etc... and that usually spurs me on and gives me purpose.I don't mind ironing any more, cause I save up some TV show that is my favourite and iron by it. It really helps!! I strictly only do this in 1/2 hr chunks and it really helps. As with other housework, when I was first married, I'd clean bathroom, toilet, kitchen and vacuum everyday besides go to work and cook tea at night! What a perfectionist! Ha, not after 25years I've learnt to only clean things that are dirty...not to imagine it!

Another beautifully written post! I always used feel like there are not enough hours in the day - but then I realised it is how I use those hours. It's all about balance and allowing myself time to do the things I want to do - in between the things I am procrastinating about!

I'd love to know about your tomato sauce Making. As you know i preserve fruits but tomatoes were not recommended in the manual that came with my Fowlers Vacola unit. Could you share how you do yours please?

"...to those of you who are not well and yet you get through the chores you set for yourself,..."Rhonda Jean, Thank you for that one part of a sentence.I work outside my home, I have some health issues, mainly pertaining to having to stand all day with a trick hip. I get upset with myself that I cannot accomplish all that I set out to do everyday. Things that I used to accomplish some time ago. Reading those words up there made me realize what I was doing wrong. From now on, I promise that I will plan only to do what I CAN accomplish, and finish! If, at the end of those chores, errands, whatever, I have energy left over or I am feeling up to it, I will do a little more. That way, I won't be so hard on myself for not "finishing it all". Thank you so much for your kind and wise words, I wonder if you know just exactly how much you really do touch people.

Maybe you have done this already but I'm not able to locate it in any of your previous postings but you should explain how to brew the perfect pot of tea! Your cup of tea looks so inviting and I wish you could brew me one!

Lis, I'll take some photos of my tomato session and do a post next week.

Claudia, I'm sorry you have that sore hip. It's important that you look after yourself, so those measure you've decided on, are a good step. I try to write as though I am talking directly to each of you. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doens't. I glad it worked today.

Alice, my tea making post is here:http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2007/11/its-time-for-tea.htmlIf you're in Australia, I make my tea with King loose tea. I've tried many different brands and King always comes out on top.

Dear Rhonda Jean, Your posts are so refreshing....they validate all the wonderful things that used to be part and parcel of everyday life. I grew up just down the road from where you are and Pine Rivers was just a little country district,really. In those days my Mum and Aunts were all home makers and managed to fit so much into their days. Rarely did I not have a new dress once a week and all our clothes were homemade. There was a certain pride in Mum's self sufficiency as wll as that of the extended family whose cooking and sewing was so appreciated. I have been a fulltime worker since my babies were little and whilst I have managed to be a resonably good cook and sewed for the kids when they were little I am still on the work tredmill and really can't get off. It seems the more you do for your kids the more debt incurred. I would like to take the plunge and be a stay at home wife. (now all three children have flown the coup) but am scared of isloation and boredom.

Hi Rhonda, I have been blessed by reading your blog now for a good while. This is my first time to comment. You are teaching me to look at a lot of things in new ways and my sweet husband and I are going more and more towards a simple life each day.I have been sewing since my grandmother taught me when I was 9 years old and my mama and I crafted for years. My husband and I garden and can, freeze and dehydrate all the time. I am trying to learn to knit and crochet but my fingers are so clumsey and I wish that I had learned when I was a lot younger! I am a wife, mother and a grandmother and I feel that we are so content and blessed. I check your blog every day and you touch my heart as you do so many others. Blessings to you and Hanno from two more American fans from the state of Florida, Carolyn and Don

Hi Rhonda;Fabulous post! Very helpful as a reminder to slow down, be mindful of what we are doing and really value our work. I particularly liked what you wrote about teaching yourself to step back, reflecting on the life you are living, getting clarity and planning your day. I also liked how you 'spoke' to a wide audience of people - mums dads, newly weds, students, singles, seniors, everyone! - about the work we do and what stage we may be at. I like reading your "plan of action" as it helps me see how you fit in creativity amongst homemaking, organic gardening and tending to the chooks.

You are right too - we all need time off - be it an hour, half or full day - what ever we need to get back on track with life and what we need to get done.

I was wondering - does Hanno feel the same about his day and getting things done?! (I just thought I might double check with my partner about!)

I like your readers' comments too. Thank you for this positive post and for sharing bits of your life. Not an easy task!Magda.

Thank you for this post. I am keeping my 4 month old grandson everyday and was stressing over getting it all done. It seems like all I do is rock but he is growing so fast and I see that. You have made me realize to slow down, do what I can and enjoy it as I go. I am so thankful that I can help with all of my grandchildren. Thank you for your encouragement.

Thank you - I really needed to read this today. With a very active almost 2 year old, getting the chores done has been an uphill battle as of late. Your post reminded me that I just need to get done what I can get done, and if something has to wait a day or two, that's OK.

Hi Rhonda ... you have no idea how welcome this post was to me today!! Like some of your other readers, I've been feeling overwhelmed with tasks and not getting things done. I'm going to print this one out and stick it to my fridge, so I can keep reminding myself to slow down, take a break, and value what I do as a homemaker!

Hi again Rhonda;Forgot to mention the "housework never ends" part of your post in my comment. Its really great to be able to read how you came to your eureka moments and how you incorporated what these meant into your life. Again, you highlight for me, the part about being mindful - stopping and thinking about what you are doing, how you want to set out your days, and what makes you happy. This is very helpful! Thanks for sharing your ideas! Magda.

Gail, yes I drew that pattern. I thought I had posted that pattern but I can't find it now. Here are some others that you are welcome to try. I'll try to find this one but it might take a few day before I get round to it.

Thanks Rhonda. Lovely inspiring words to read when i was feeling a bit low. Hubby doesn't really dig the simple life that I do, he sort of pays lip service to it but his actions are not consistent with his words. But his heart is in the right place.

Sometimes I feel like there's a mountain to climb. I do all the garden, the kitchen garden, the cooking and the housework as well as trying to bring in the same income as him through freelance writing. But I climb it bit by bit and fostering a sense of pride in what I accomplish.

Although now and then I look back and see hubby pulling out the safety 'crampons' behind me in the form of oil stains on the towels, piles of rubbish strewn around, mud on the floor and dirty socks in strange places. Lol!

Thanks for shaing your thoughts Rhonda. I think many of us feel overwhelmed by day-to-day chores but don't admit it. I have been struggling with some aspects of my 'simpler life' taking so much time. But i have decided that that is not a problem as long as I enjoy it. So i bake with my daughter rather than take her to a play centre. Or we garden instead of watching TV.

Very good post Rhonda. I think its important to schedule time for yourself on a daily basis but the time for myself is scheduled first and the chores around that, not the other way around because I simply decided that I was going to enjoy life after a long illness due to burnout. I bake bread more for pleasure than anything, find mending and cleaning the bathroom meditative (call me crazy on that one:) So I use these chores to unwind. However I still make time for myself seperate from actual chore-like tasks and that time is always on my schedule without compromise.I sound spoiled but I promise that things get done around here, not to perfection, but close enough to have a nice home and a close knit family.

Boy your post was perfect for me today! =)I am feeling a little panic over all that needs doing and I am feeling a little overwhelmed and under motivated but I am going to be mindful and plan my day carefully!Thank you Rhonda Jean, you are a blessing! =)

Thank you so much for the encouraging post! Making lists does help so much! I think once everything is all crossed off, it's that sense of accomplishment that puts a little smile on your face and gives you a little boost!

Question for you though - my husband and I are thinking about getting some chicks. How many should we get? I was thinking maybe 4 but I have no idea. Could you help?

Great post. I read it and am going to re-read it as well. Yesterday I told my wife that I am not living up to my own expectations, and this post was written just for me!. (Yes, I do live in a me-centered universe!!)

Your photo of your yard, complete with encroaching rain forest, with you "maintenance man" working away is fabulous!!

Rhonda since I see your stitchery pattern here do you have any others that you could share? I have found the ones you had posted in earlier threads and love them all. They have such a rustic homey feel to them that I just love. Thank you for all your wonderful writings. I enjoy each and every one of them.

I was just lamenting that "house work never ends" - and a friend reminded me that it does end when you don't have a home. Ouch! What an important reminder. She told me she hoped my house work never ends...I think I agree. It's all in your perspective :-)

I noticed yesterday, that you had wished us a good weekend on Thursday instead of your usual Friday. I have done that before, myself. So nice to have your family with you and good to know they will be close by, for awhile. We are busily painting our apartment to get it ready for open house on the first weekend it May. I'm trying to go with the flow and not get stressed about having everything just right for any prospective buyers. I'm actually trying to enjoy the experience.Have a good weekend and we'll catch up again on Monday. I do so enjoy our morning chats with you an all these lovely folk.

thank you for living a life that is so insightful and for sharing with all of us. I have soooo struggled with housework but to have the words phrased housework never ends so don't finish it WOW!! I now have a total different outlook on the way I clean house now!THANK YOU! btw, I also found your entry on time-management very useful and insightful!

Thanks so much for your posts about housework. I am a young mother with one 18mo.old daughter and it often seems like the fight against the mess is not a battle I can win, so why try? But lately, I have been trying to do things slowly and enjoy them, by singing a little tune, or just concentrating on the task at hand. It hasn't seemed nearly as daunting, and my house is looking better every day. Thanks for your blog. I have been trying to do more things from scratch, learn to garden and knit, and many other things, and your blog is a great resource and encouragement.

I really enjoyed reading this post, and stopped to think a bit about how I manage with ALWAYS having far too much too do. Working full time, with an hour and a half traveling each day, looking after my 5 acres here, chooks, garden, wormfarms, inside the house, caring for and training my five dogs, keeping up with friends and family, volunteering once a week, and looking after me - a bit much really! I think one of the key things is always remembering that I am doing what I want to do .. like it might be necessary and even a priority but it's my choice, somehow that totally takes the pressure off. Also it leaves me pretty happy with the work that I do (I'm so lucky that I have full time work that I LOVE!) Also important, is realising that I am NEVER going to get everything done - also takes pressure off. Yesterday I cleaned out the chook shed in the rain and absolutely enjoyed it - got saturated (though I suspect that was more harvesting the 110 cherry tomatoes); cleaned up the dog runs, did a tiny bit of house cleaning, some laundry, cooked home made baked beans - all a total pleasure. Today I woke to find my wonderful neighbour starting on chopping and splitting my trees we felled on Good Friday - worked along with her until it got too wet / cold to keep going then paid a visit with her and then came home to cook a batch of dog biscuits to share with friends (don't tell my dogs!). I will tidy up something else before I have tea. Which reminds me that I find it much easier to get on with the more tedious stuff by breaking it into manageable tasks - so I never 'tidy the kitchen / living room' but work my way round benches, tables and other surfaces. Well better get on with it! I'm still really enjoying this blog.

And - on ironing - folk - just don't do it. If you need anything to inspire you in this direction, just reflect on how environmentally unfriendly it is! I iron clothes maybe twice a year, and occasionally use the iron when sewing.

I really needed to hear this and your words are so very wise! Today I was feeling that overwhelmed feeling and now it's night and I still didn't get everything on my "to do" list done even though I worked steadily all day. I think I needed to hear someone tell me that it's okay and I still did a good job. Thanks!

Morning Rhonda,it's all about balance,knowing when to stop and smell the roses and knowing that some tasks will wait if we don't get them done today, next week or even next year, trying not to be a perfectionist and being patient.I have 12.5 acres to look after, much of it needing clearing of the former occupants' rubbish and mistakes 7 years ago.Progress has been made and many goals are being achieved,plans coming together and even some new things started.We 'borrow' our neighbours sheep, cattle and pony to clear the growth on the top paddock, keep a flock of geese to clear the rest which reduces the mowing.Have put in beds that will eventually be low maintenance and fit in the spaces the mower doesn't easily go.I concentrate on specific areas...maintain what you have before starting another project.I pass on some heavy work or time consuming tasks to Members of my LETS Group who earn $B for the work to pay their school fees and are glad of it.I pace myself and make sure I have other activities like knitting,tapestry work, listening to music, tweeting and blogging and going out to keep aware of the bigger picture.Life's good, I'm fit and active for my age and I wouldn't change it for anything.By the way I have RA, was in a wheel chair briefly and know all about chronic pain but refuse to be a victim just a survivor.Dream the dream you just might achieve it!

Hi Rhonda, First time today, saw you on Sunrise and also in the WW, we are on 10 acres and have chooks, as my husband shows them, so I insisted on extras for my eggs! also have a good vegie garden and fruit trees, so been peeling apples for the last two days and cooking them and freezing them in bags. Love your site, and for your labels go to accobrands.com.au and click on Templates, you can get all types and sizes of labels, they will ask for your email but do not annoy you with heaps and heaps of emails, just occasional ones of new products, as I worked in Stationery for years, this is a great site for Templates, you can now even get the ones for your suspension files for tidying up your filing!CheersRaylene

DEAR READERS, PLEASE NOTE:Comments keep blogs going. Without them it feels like no one is reading. That is true of my blog and every other blog available for public viewing.

I know that children read my blog so I always check my links and information to make sure they're family-friendly. I don't publish comments containing any kind of link now because I don't have time to check the links before publishing comments.

WELCOME

Now in my blog's 11th year, I'm still writing about the wonders of a close family and a warm and welcoming home. The subjects are many and varied here and while most of the time I write about simple home life, gardening, knitting and recipes, I also add a sprinkling of my thoughts about ageing, a small black Scottie dog named Gracie, and anything else that rocks my boat. I'm glad you found me.

MY BOOKS ARE ON SALE AT MANY BOOK SHOPS INCLUDING BOOKTOPIA & BOOK DEPOSITORY